Establishing Priority Setting Partnerships

This page describes the key requirements for setting up a James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership. It provides links to the JLA Guidebook, which contains more detailed information and examples.

1. The JLA is about ‘tackling treatment uncertainties together’. Patient/carer organisations and clinician organisations work together to confront uncertainties about the effects of treatments in their area of interest. They may also, if appropriate, address other issues such as diagnosis and aetiology.
2. JLA Priority Setting Partnerships consist of at least one patient/carer organisation and at least one clinician organisation. Click here for more information.
3. Partnerships are led by a Steering Group, which comprises both clinical and patient representation. The role and responsibilities of the Steering Group are described here.
4. Steering Group members must affiliate to the JLA, and must sign a Protocol setting out their aims for the Partnership, and their agreed commitments.
5. The key components of a priority setting process are:
   1. engaging with patients, carers and clinicians to participate in the Partnership
   2. collecting patients', carers' and clinicians' treatment uncertainties, then checking them
   3. reviewing existing research recommendations to identify uncertainty
   4. working with patients, carers and clinicians to prioritise the uncertainties, and agreeing a ranked top 10 questions for research to address

Organisations or individuals interested in establishing a Priority Setting Partnership are encouraged to consult the JLA Guidebook (www.JLAguidebook.org) in order to familiarise themselves with the practical requirements of the process. For a discussion, please contact the JLA.